Bulborb Social Structure (oneshot)
by Brixmon
Summary: This is a short little fic I wrote about how I believe the Bulborb social structure would work. It seems to fit within the confines of canon and is written as though you could find it in a Hocotatian Biology textbook. It details the life cycle, organization and roles within the Bulborb 'hive'.


**-Organization—**

"_Empress Bulblax- Initial observations placed doubt on the capability of the grub-dog family to support a strong ant- or beelike social structure, but recent studies show the family is capable of such complexity. The egg sac of the largest female grub-dog within a given range swells to dramatic proportions in response to environmental changes, such as the sudden depletion of prey species. These females temporarily take on the role of pack matriarch. Also, in pack formation it has been observed that nearly all males not involved in species reproduction undergo natural sex changes. The characteristics of such specimens are quite intriguing indeed." –Olimar, gd. 2/6/2114_

Grub-dog 'hives' are called Kingdoms, and are divided into four sections; the Outer Grounds, and the Inner Grounds, which are located above-ground and serve as the Bulborbs' territory. The combined size of these sections can vary greatly, ranging from as small as two square miles (Units of measurement here are Hocotatian and nowhere near the size of human units. Olimar is 6/3 Hocotatian feet tall, for reference.) to a massive 74 square miles, the largest Bulborb outer territory ever recorded. The inner two sections are located underground, and are called the Outer Sanctum and the Inner Sanctum. These are where much of the Kingdom's population is located.

**-Life Cycle—**

_"Dwarf Red Bulborb- Although initially identified as a juvenile red bulborb, groundbreaking new research indicates that this creature is in fact a member of the breadbug family. A close relative of the vanilla breadbug, it escapes predation through mimicry. Unique adaptation of the red bulborb's crimson coloration allows the species to safely commingle. Such effective adaptation and obfuscation by a prey species is rare, indicating this clever creature is a master of mimicry." –Olimar, gd. 1/6/2114_

It was initially observed that young Bulborbs were simply smaller versions of the adults, it was found that these creatures were in fact Breadbugs mimicking their predators for free protection. In actuality, the young Bulborb is a small, cream-colored creature with no legs. Upon birth, it possesses the adult form's characteristic stalk eyes and large mouth. Even this early in its life cycle its voracious appetite has already surfaced, and it will attempt to eat practically anything it sees that is not its mother. Depending on the environment it is raised in, it will mature to become one of the many different Bulborb species.

**-Species and Roles—**

_"Orange Bulborb- This bulborb species boasts a garish color pattern, with deep orange body and black spots. The orange bulborb's yellow, bloodshot eyes make it clear that this grub-dog is excessively edgy and high-strung, making it much easier to wake from deep sleep than other species in the bulborb family." –Olimar, gd. 5/6/2114_

The bulborb social structure is also ant- or beelike in that there are different roles to fulfill which perform different services for the Kingdom. However, unlike ants and bees these roles are many more than two and are not determined by gender, instead, these roles are actually taught to a young bulborb early on, and this determines the bulborb's species. Red Bulborbs are guards, they are often found in the Outer and Inner Grounds of the Kingdom protecting its borders. They hunt small creatures, but only to feed themselves, as they do not often get to eat from the Kingdom's food stashes. Occasionally Red bulborbs can be found in the Outer and, even more rarely, Inner Sanctum, taking upon the role of 'royal' guards. They are also often replaced by Hairy Bulborbs in colder climates. Orange Bulborbs serve as 'royal' guards, typically found in either of the two Sanctum layers and occasionally taking shifts in the Grounds portions of the Kingdom in times of crisis or in hostile environments, such as the Wistful Wild. The fact that they are light sleepers and fast eaters has made them significantly better at guarding the Kingdom during the daytime than the Red Bulborbs, thus their position of importance. Spotty Bulbears, notable for the fact that they reproduce separately of the Empress due to vastly different mating procedures and life cycles, are somewhat of an elite group of hunters and patrolling guards. They serve the Warrior and Patrol roles. A Warrior Bulbear will wander far from the boundaries of the Kingdom, sometimes deep into strange caves or even other Kingdoms, in search of food to ingest and then regurgitate in the Kingdom's special food storage caves. Their young often follow them during this, as a way of teaching them how to be a Warrior or Patrol. Patrol Bulbears remain within the Sanctum areas and are constantly roaming the sublevels, ever-vigilant in case of attack by competing predators or curious space captains. They also sleep during the night to allow the rest of the Bulborbs to perform their job and hunt. Fiery Bulblaxes often serve the role of captain of the royal guard, and are usually the first to teach budding Orange Bulborbs how to perform their role when a Kingdom is new. The Whiptongue Bulborb is a strange case, often serving the role of Red or Orange Bulborbs in tropical Kingdoms.

Empress Bulblaxes serve the role of pack matriarch, and there is always only one of them. They give birth rapidly during the winter, and can have millions of children over the course of a single winter. However, only about one to three thousand of them survive, due to them attempting to eat each other, predators, or birth defects. Emperor Bulblaxes serve the role of pack patriarch, and there can be anywhere from one to five of them in any given Kingdom, depending on its age. They mate with the Empress Bulblaxes and can also serve the role of guarding the Inner Sanctum along with Orange Bulborbs. To this end, they can bury themselves in the rocks beneath and wait for intruders. The actual mating process has never been observed and speculation has proven fruitless.

Some Bulborbs and Bulbears have been observed to be rogue, apparently having been exiled from their Kingdom or born outside of it.


End file.
